5 years and above.

“If we had Fantasy like Logic, we would have already discovered the art of invention” (Novalis, Fragments)

Writer and educator Gianni Rodari dedicated his whole life to the art of inventing stories and ceaselessly using his imagination. Indeed, Novalis’ fragment inspired the title of his first writings on how stories are conceived, Quaderno di Fantastica. These notes were then revised and enriched with new ideas, becoming the landmark work La grammatica della fantasia (1973), an illuminating text that is essential reading for anyone involved in childcare and education. We celebrate the centenary of Rodari’s birth with a retrospective of animated short films that share the same spirit of narrative invention and reversal of conventions, despite being of different geographic origin, periods and style: a genuine tribute to Fantasy. There are two sections: Power to the Imagination is a collection of short films in which the world appears upside down, imaginary or dreamlike; Fairy Tale Salad takes its cue from Rodari’s famous expression about creating stories from imaginatively tossing together characters and situations from classic fairy tales: here Cinderella becomes a penguin in The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin, Sleeping Beauty does not want to hear about waking up in Isabelle au bois dormant, and the three Musketeers must save the world in Vivat Musketeers!   

SEA DREAM
(Canada/1979) di Ellen Besen (5’)

IMAGO
(Francia/2005) di Cédric Babouche (11’)

RAIN AND FISH
(Giappone/2010) di Risa Kimpara (5’)

MANOLITO’S DREAM
(Spagna/2012) di Alla Kinda (2’)

SPOTS SPOTS
(Giappone/2014) di Yuanyuan Hu (8’)

FLIPPED
(Il mondo alla rovescia, GB/2018) di Hend Esmat, Lamiaa Diab (5’)